The New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears will face off in Chicago for their Week 7 matchup on Sunday. The Bears look forward to having their starting quarterback back this week after a much-needed bye week.
Dealing With Injuries
The Saints have been playing well despite being without their future Hall of Fame quarterback, Drew Brees. Teddy Bridgewater is 4-0 in his four starts for the team, which is most likely more than anyone expected. This week will, without a doubt, be his toughest task as he takes on the stout Chicago defense.
New Orleans will have to try to overcome this tough Bears defense in Chicago without its star running back, Alvin Kamara, who is currently dealing with an ankle injury. With the departure on Mark Ingram, Kamara has had an expanded role this season and has produced 373 yards and a touchdown on the ground along with an explosive presence in the passing game. Latavius Murray will step into Kamara’s spot for this game.
Without Brees, the Saints have still been getting the job done through the air as Bridgewater has 1,089 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Bridgewater had a rough start against the Rams when he was forced in after Brees’ injury but has been able to bounce back and produce well since then.
The Saints will be without Brees, Kamara, and tight end Jared Cook on offense in this game against possibly the best defense in the NFL. They have averaged 21.3 points per game along with 359 yards of offense. These numbers are almost identical to what their defense gives up per game, which is 20.3 points and 360.7 yards.
Back In The Saddle
The Bears have dealt with quarterback injuries of their own already this season, but luckily, they had a bye week last week, and Mitch Trubisky should be back under center for this one.
Even with Trubisky at the helm, the Bears have struggled a lot on offense this season, averaging just 17.4 points per game, 202.8 passing yards, and 80.6 rushing yards. This seems to be the result of a number of things, including questionable play-calling, offensive line play, quarterback ability, and lack of weapons. Once again, Chicago will be relying heavily on its top-tier defense to keep it in the game.
One bright spot on offense this season has been the powerful, rookie running back David Montgomery. The 22-year-old has 69 attempts this season for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Look for the Bears to get him more involved as the season rolls on.
The Bears leading receiver has been Allen Robinson, who has seemed to make the best out of a bad situation on their offense. He currently has 31 receptions for 377 yards and two touchdowns.
Most important for Chicago is once again its defense. Look for their front seven to continue to cause problems, especially with Bridgewater in the backfield without Kamara. The Bears are currently only giving up 13.8 points a game, and the 24 they gave up in their last game was the most they’ve given up all season.
What To Expect
This should be a typical Bears game: close, low-scoring, a lot of defense, and turnovers. The Saints will have to avoid mistakes and find cracks in the Bears defense to make plays when the opportunity presents itself if they want a chance in this one. With no Kamara, Bridgewater instead of Brees, and Trubisky back for the Bears, I would take the Bears to win this in a low-scoring game.
